


Outlaws

by blackhcles



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Grahamscott, Impulse decision making, M/M, Running Away, au where jefferson isn't a shit cause it has nothing to do with the plot of this, nathan's still an ass but he didn't kill rachel or anything, there will be angst come on it's nathan prescott
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackhcles/pseuds/blackhcles
Summary: Nathan is done. He's done with this piece of shit town, done with the piece of shit people in it, done with his piece of shit dad. He's done with everything. So, he's doing what any normal person would do.He's leaving. For good.Warren's not letting him go alone.
Relationships: Warren Graham & Nathan Prescott, Warren Graham/Nathan Prescott
Comments: 13
Kudos: 41





	1. Delayed Farewells

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello hello! welcome to the first chapter of this fic. woah. me, actually posting it???  
> anyway, i hope you enjoy it. i'm going to say now that i have no idea how often this will be posted and i am sorry in advance for that. maybe this will be the only chapter i ever post and you'll be left with only a vague idea of what would theoretically happen next.  
> i'll try not to let that happen.  
> happy reading :)

Clothes.

God, why were some of Nathan’s most casual clothes his pajamas? He wasn’t trying to bring his old life with him when he did this. That was the last thing he wanted or needed. Yet still, they were the only clothes he had. Several button-ups, which had been laundered and ironed to perfection, which he washed every Friday night and folded right away to avoid wrinkles. Every day for the past two years, he’d worn the same 5 button-ups, which were, as his father put it, “casual” enough to wear to a high school. Every day, he’d put up with comments about how pretentious he suddenly looked one year. This was, of course, before people began to respect him. The shirts were white as clouds and always worn under his "infamous" jacket, which he’d gotten his father’s approval to wear. His pants, which also were all the same, and formal as all hell. These went through the same routine as his shirt. Washed every Friday night, folded right after, repeat every week for the entire time he’d spent here. They, too, were what made him seem pretentious. His socks, which he packed because he had no flip flops, or slides, or any open-toed shoes. They were each the same pair, all ankle-high and bleached white. Because of his slacks, they were covered, but Nathan hated the feeling of the fabric made from whatever the hell his dad thought was eco-friendly, or whatever.

  
As one would probably tell, his dad was the one who controlled everything he did, everything he said, and everything in general. If he wanted to try for the football team, he asked his dad for permission first. If he wanted to try out for the lead in that year’s school play, he asked his dad for permission. Every little aspect of his high school life was ruled by his father, who wanted Nathan to be a cardboard cutout of himself, and to eventually lead the family on. Have kids, have them be pretentious and spoiled as fuck, and have them have kids who were also spoiled and rich. One can get the point here.

Yet, Nathan despised this. He really, truly hated his father with every fiber of his being, more than any human alive. If Nathan did something even remotely wrong, he was given a lecture about it. One time, he’d wanted to be in the school’s production of The Tempest, which his father, of course, had approved, but the night of the show, his nerves were at their peak, to the point where he was physically shaking. Thoughts of how horrible he’d do ran through his head and all he could think about was the fact that he would do bad. He regretted ever deciding to sign up for the play, for auditioning for a lead role. Seriously, he had considered not even showing up.

But there his father was, after forcing him to get to rehearsals before the play that night, moments before they got up on stage and performed for those who showed up, scolding him for being nervous beforehand. Scolding him for feeling a human emotion that every normal human would have before something like this. Acting as if it were his fault that already, he’d had anxiety issues. And, while his father believed that his own words were true, there was no way that Nathan would ever do so. Even if he were to have kids and grow up as a rich parent, if his kid, who, diagnosed with certain issues, was anxious before some big thing, he’d never even _think_ of scolding them for it. However, he wasn’t his father, and his father certainly didn’t have the same views as he did. While his dad thought of the whole anxiety thing as an excuse, Nathan knew—so did so many other people in the world—that it wasn’t, and that he really, truly, was moments from freaking out.

And because of his dad’s dumbass repeated mantra that always went something like “Don’t embarrass me in front of everyone” one way or another, he just told himself that. It worked. He didn’t freak out on stage; he didn’t do anything on stage other than what he was supposed to do. Another lecture from his dad in a familiar disappointed tone was dodged, even though he knew there would be many more to come. 

Sure, he hated his dad, but sometimes he was right. So right that it made Nathan angry. He depended so much on his father, yet still despised the man for controlling him and his actions.

Luckily for him, he wasn’t going to have to deal with his dad for much longer. He had his only pairs of clothes, which he knew he was going to throw out as soon as he could. He could get new clothes some other time. Clothes that didn’t remind him of this. This was what he was running from, after all.

He left his dress shoes behind, forcing his sneakers, usually used for Gym and Gym only, on his feet without untying the laces. They wouldn’t go on right away, which prompted frustration from the hot-headed teen. After shoving his foot more forcibly, he fit his foot in. This process repeated with the other shoe until he stood up and looked around his room. A duffle bag lay beside him on his bed, already packed with clothes. However, he took the bag by its strap to move it to the floor. Taking his covers from the bed, he folded them up into a less than neat square before shoving them inside the bag as well. Normally, the bag would be full of sports equipment of whatever sport at the school he was forced to do for the duration of that sport’s season, but he’d dumped it out onto his floor. The sturdy bag served a new purpose now: it was his getaway bag.

Next thing Nathan knew, he was shoving his pajamas, which consisted of a baggy shirt that was formerly owned by his father at one point as well as some sweats into the bag. He then added his underwear. After several moments, everything that was deemed a necessity for being on the road was packed into one bag. Nothing that told tales of what he was now—nothing of sentimental value, even—was packed. He had his clothes, his meds, and lastly, his phone. Even that, he’d get rid of it quickly—stomp it in the parking lot of the school, probably—after calling his sister and saying some sort of goodbye for a while. Even if it was late where she was, it’d be better. If she didn’t answer, she wouldn’t have the access to making him feel guilty for leaving. She was different than him; she would never think of running away from home. But really, she had. She’d left him with his asshole of a father to deal with.

Needless to say, he was more than done with dealing with him.

He had a set plan. He was leaving behind everything but the necessities. He knew that if he brought anything to remember this place by, that he’d eventually want to come back, possibly even feel some sort of homesickness. He couldn’t afford coming back here and to face the complete and utter criticism from not just his father, but everyone in his family. He’d surely not be allowed anywhere out of Arcadia Bay for months. And, out of all the dumb shit he’d done, whether deliberately or by accident, this would become the number one. He’d feel regret if he took anything with him. If he even missed one aspect, it could make or break this runaway trip. He didn’t want to come back now, but he could later. It was a risk he didn’t want to take.

This was the explanation for mysteriously blowing Victoria off for days, for she was the one thing he’d miss most about Arcadia Bay. His closest friend, the one person who knew about his problems and didn’t victimize him or take advantage of him for it. She was there when he was freaking out, there when he needed help, and there at any time of day or night. The teen had even once admitted to keeping her ringer on practically always (and extra loud at night) to try and be there whenever she was needed.  
Victoria may have had a reputation for being a bitch to others, but to him, she was his best friend.

Nathan couldn’t afford to want to come back for her. He resorted to blocking her number in his phone the last few days before he planned to run. He avoided her in the halls. Avoided her even in their shared classes. If she knew what he was about to do, it’d crush her, and it’d eventually crush him.

This was the same thing for other people he knew. It wasn’t as strong as it was with Victoria, though. People like… Warren. He’d barely known the junior and used to hate his guts (especially after the bitch beat him up), but they made up to the point where they weren’t necessarily enemies. More acquaintances than anything. They knew each other’s names, knew each other’s grade, knew basic shit about one other, but they weren’t incredible friends. Certainly not to the scale of what he and Vic were like. Yet, he’d probably miss something simple like being at the top of the school hierarchy, with all that “power.”

The young adult made sure of having everything he needed several times before he was sure he was set to go. It was a form of stalling that he didn’t even understand as such. A reluctance to leave this shithole for something new. He had a few stops before he was out of here, but his subconscious knew—it was time to go and he secretly didn’t want to.

Nathan’s eyes set themselves on his phone, which displayed the time as 12:07 AM. It was late enough to leave.

Heaving the bag over his right shoulder, the young adult leaned forward to take a grip of the doorknob and turn it as slowly as he could. If this were to go smoothly, he needed to be quiet and stealthy. This certainly wasn’t his first time sneaking off campus at night, but this time, he was carrying a duffel bag full of clothes and blankets and shit, making it quite packed to the brim. Because it was on his back, it could easily be noticed more than just a lanky kid could be.

After stepping out into the hall, the first thing he noticed was that it was quite dark. At night, the hallway’s lights were dimmed, making the hallway to the courtyard almost seem eerie. However, it wasn’t like Nathan was scared of the dark. It just enhanced his fear of getting caught. No fear, though, was going to stop him from leaving this shithole of a town. After talking for months about leaving with Victoria, he was finally going to do it. Not an ounce of remorse for those he called friends flickered through his mind. He was too caught up in this to care.

Creeping down the hallway toward the bathroom was his first task. It didn’t take long, and when he was there, he didn’t take the fact that the light was on too seriously. Plenty of people left the lights on by accident, even though they weren’t supposed to (there were signs all over about “saving energy,” which were, quite frankly, stupid).  
So, while crouched, Nathan crept into the bathroom. It didn’t seem as if anyone but him was in there, and so he let his guard down for just a moment before placing the duffel down on the ground to grab his toothbrush and other toiletries. He snagged some dry shampoo from someone else in the dorm; after a few days on the road, the male would certainly need this more than whoever owned it would. He didn’t plan on staying in any hotels or motels anywhere in a certain radius of this place, and he wasn’t going to lug around huge bottles of shampoo and conditioner if he wasn’t even guaranteed a shower every night. It would have to do.

He didn’t take but five minutes in the bathroom grabbing his things and was out in a flash. His guard was back up in a matter of seconds as he turned out the lights and crept toward the front door of the boys’ dorms. All he needed to do was get out, then sneak past the courtyard, and finally sneak to his Jeep and then leave. It was simple. He’d done this a number of times, and he could do it again.

Though right as he was approaching the door to the courtyard, a whisper shot through the silent room, and Nathan’s pulse increased drastically.

“What the hell are you doing?” Someone had whispered. It surely wasn’t the voice of a guard; the voice wasn’t deep or at all adult-like, meaning it must have been a student that caught him.

His body instinctively swiveled around to face the person who caught him. Quickly, it became apparent the reason why the bathroom light was on. Another student—Warren fucking Graham—was in there at the time he shoved a bunch of shit into his bag and then made a careful yet quick beeline to the door out to the courtyard.

And now he was caught. What he was supposed to do, he didn’t really know. He had planned for a security guard to catch him rather than a student. He guessed he didn’t have to answer the junior’s question. It would really be better if he just left without a word, without any insight into what he was doing. It was the nerdy 16-year-old, however, who spoke up first, with an assumption.

“Are you—are those drugs in there? Drug money?” Asked Warren, to which Nathan’s expression quickly grew exasperated. Did Warren really think he was dumb enough to just carry a shit ton of drugs around like this? And—why was _that_ the first thing that came to mind?

“Fuck no, Graham. What kind of question is that?” Nathan spat back, his voice a small whisper in fear of waking any other students up. Sure, Nathan did drugs and drank maybe way too much at parties, and even sold drugs to other students, but he wasn’t dumb. If the bag was full of drugs, he would not be doing this as openly as he was now. He knew other ways around the school, but for bolting, the most direct way was the best. It would take all but ten minutes to get out of here, and it was the most open. There was no need to take a more indirect route.

“I dunno… I was just wondering…” Warren replied in a tone that made him seem like a puppy that had just been stepped on. His eyes shot down to the floor and he went quiet, defeated by just a simple question.

“It’s not fucking drugs,” The older male spoke up, eyes drilling holes into Warren’s skull with how intense his glare was, “I’m just leaving this shithole.” This was all he planned to say on the matter, and he even began to turn and leave Warren and the whole rest of the school behind, but then the other started running his damn mouth again.  
“Wait—why? Isn’t your dad, like—”

“Fuck off about my dad. I’m leaving for a reason. You figure it out. I don’t have to tell you anything,” Nathan spat, his temper growing quite quickly. This statement made Warren only cower further back in fear. It was apparent that the senior had either forgotten about or simply didn’t care about the “pact” they had made after their fighting with each other. The shaggy-haired male had approached Nathan and asked about possibly forgetting everything behind them, like how he beat the shit out of the older teen and how they had pretty bad discourse with each other, and Nathan had answered with an answer that at least sounded like a yes; “Whatever,” was his exact response. So, quickly, Warren tried to diffuse the situation.

“Hey, wait, I’m-uh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad or anything. I don’t want to fight.” He desperately apologized, backing up a bit more just in case, “I just wanted to know, I swear.”

“Well, if you’re so interested, this place fucking sucks. Is that good enough of a reason?” Nathan asked, venom in his voice. It was true. He was sick of his dad, and of others, taking advantage of the way he was for their own benefit. Ultimately, he was sick of everything here. He didn’t need or have another reason to leave. No amount of convincing could pry him from his decision. Yet, Warren could at least try… right?

“You… shouldn’t leave, Nathan. It’ll get better. Maybe if you just say something—”

“I didn’t ask for your input, loser. Just fuck off. You shouldn’t be awake just like I shouldn’t. Just go to bed and don’t tell a soul about this.” Nathan wasn’t going to let up. He’d imagined this day—the day he left Arcadia Bay—for years now, and he’d never actually had the guts to do any of this until today. Warren—as well as any other person—wasn’t going to control him and tell him to stay. This was his decision to make, and he had made it.

“Come on… You should think about this,” Begged Warren. He couldn’t let Nathan ultimately throw his life away and run off to some unknown place. He went to this school after all, which was meant for gifted students. Nathan had to have something that he came here for in the first place. If he could just—

“I have thought about this. And it’s happening, I told you to go, so just… do it! Before I-I—” He had nothing. No threat in mind. He wasn’t bringing the godforsaken gun he’d had on him for the longest while, and he didn’t want to cause a ruckus at, like, 12 in the morning when everyone else was asleep. It’d get them caught.

Luckily for Nathan, he didn’t have to have any threat, because Warren was going to back off about it. It seemed as if he would never get Nathan to stay. Maybe it was for the best, though. If Nathan was gone, it meant that he wouldn’t pick on those weaker than him and start fights for no reason. Ultimately, other than dealing with Victoria, school would be more enjoyable.

But Warren immediately expelled the thoughts from his mind. It was rude to think like that. Even though Nathan was a complete asshole, Warren couldn’t find the heart to do anything rude after he’d beaten up the other boy. After hearing his pleads to stop, and his weak, cracked voice uttering an apology, he’d immediately felt so incredibly bad, but he wasn’t able to show it. He regretted his actions greatly. Yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to just turn around and walk away, leaving the elder male to run away alone. If he were going to run away, he would have wanted company of some sort.

He’d already started to turn around, defeated, but he quickly spun around on his heels to face the taller male, a determined look in his eye.

“What if I came with you?” Warren blurted out, his voice a bit louder than Nathan would have liked it to be. The other immediately retaliated against the idea, as he would have guessed would happen. Maybe it was a good thing, though, because truly, he had no idea what he was doing.

“Hell no, Gayram,” Nathan laughed mockingly, thinking that Warren must have been kidding himself, or trying to make some dumb joke and then tell his friends—and the whole school—that he’d left. Which, they would eventually figure out, but Nathan needed time to run without anyone knowing. Warren could potentially ruin his whole plan with some dumb joke. However, Warren continued to persist, despite the rational part of his brain yelling “No!” at him.

“No, I mean it…! I… I’ve been wanting to leave, too,” He bullshitted. This really was all bullshit, all a big lie, because though Warren thought about moving somewhere else when he was older, he never thought of doing so as a teenager. He, unlike Nathan, had loving parents not incredibly far from Arcadia Bay, and good friends, and he liked his school, minus the violence that broke out between him and Nathan. He was ultimately happy here, and he’d not felt anything that Nathan was feeling. But he didn’t want Nathan to go alone. Even though this was a shitty thing to make an impulse decision about, here he was, doing it.

Nathan was wary, though. He had been tricked so many times in the past, with empty promises and lies, and who’s to say that Warren wasn’t lying? The kid had beat him to a pulp and been a shithead to him, even if he tried to make it up afterward. It simply didn’t seem real enough to believe, yet.

“I told you. I don’t need some sort of partner. If you want to leave, do it yourself,” He spat, eyebrows furrowed in a still-angry expression. His words were almost enough to prompt Warren to give up on it, finally, but this decision was something he was sure of—at least at the moment. He wanted to go with Nathan so that the teen had someone there, even on the road. And he was going to. He just needed to convince the other to let him come along.

“No, I mean—it’ll be way easier if we go together, right…? I’ll bring my own stuff, my own money. I can also help pay for gas, and-uh… I can drive. I… really don’t want to run away on my own. You probably don’t either. I just… um… I feel like I need to go, I guess. And you’re doing it too…! It could be good.” He tried to convince, his voice growing more and more desperate throughout his whole mini-speech of why he wanted to come with Nathan. It felt awful to lie about the reason, but he felt that the only way to be able to come along was to relate to the other.

And for Nathan, why the hell was Warren’s sob story working? It was so incredibly dumb, and he sounded so desperate. So why was he considering having his “former” enemy along with him? Could it possibly be the offer to drive him, so that he himself didn’t have to drive so much? Or maybe it was because he wanted someone with him deep down (though he’d never admit such a thing). Whatever the reason was, he didn’t want it to be true. He didn’t need someone with him. This was supposed to be a solo mission.

Before he knew it, he was blurting out an answer.

“Oh my god. Whatthefuckever. I don’t give a shit. Just hurry your ass up and let’s go, okay? I was supposed to leave ten minutes ago.” He answered. Warren’s expression went from hopeful to surprised quite quickly, and a tiny bit of joy entered his heart at Nathan accepting his request.

“Uh… sure! I’ll just grab some clothes and, uh… I’ll be right back, swear.” Warren said, visibly excited. This made Nathan roll his eyes as the other practically ran to his dorm.

This was scary for Warren, but it was going to be… fun. A chance to understand Nathan maybe, and a chance to perhaps get closer with him at least a little. He knew, deep down, he would regret this later, but there was nothing stopping him. In a matter of minutes (and asking himself several times if he really wanted to do this), he was done packing and walking fast to meet up with Nathan, who, to his surprise, had really stayed for him. They were really doing this. He was running away with Nathan Prescott for pretty much no reason. It was exhilarating.

As soon as Warren approached Nathan, he crouched. He himself did the same, grinning a little with his backpack full of clothes and some personal things he couldn’t live without. He said “Sayonara,” to his laptop, but his phone still remained in his pocket. He’d miss watching pirated films…

“Alright. Be quiet and follow me, got it? If we get caught because of you, you’re dead.” Nathan snapped, eyes glaring toward the younger male. Warren nodded quickly and silently, and then they were out.

_Goodbye, Blackwell._

The thought uttered through Warren’s head repeatedly as they crept through the courtyard, and toward the Jeep that Nathan owned. Soon it was, _Goodbye Arcadia Bay_. The thought of leaving the place he’d grown to love in such a short time was saddening, but he couldn’t think of it right now.

Regret had begun to set in, but given the angry, reluctant glare that Nathan’s face was stuck in, he knew that there was no going back. He had to just accept that he made the most impulsive decision of his life and that he could not reverse it.

His decision was final, as was Nathan’s, and he became aware of that as the silence set in heavy layers in the space around them.

_There was no going back._


	2. Radio Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warren tries to navigate the choppy waters of having a conversation with Nathan, but it doesn't seem as if any effort to do so will get through to Nathan. The hope of this spontaneous trip being a good one begins to fade more and more. Above all, he misses his home.
> 
> Nathan is an asshole, he's concluded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not going to lie, i didn't expect i'd write a 3600-word chapter so quickly! hope y'all enjoy this. this chapter is kinda uneventful, but it showcases the tension between the two (which will, of course, be resolved soon enough!).

Warren supposed he should have guessed this wasn’t going to be like the movies. Life’s never like the movies.

Neither was the situation he was in. He would have thought that running off away from his hometown would be fun in  _ some _ way. However, he seemed to forget that he was with Nathan Prescott. His adrenaline rush about sneaking out had worn off a measly half an hour or so after they left the town; he was nothing near excited, now. In fact, he was the opposite.

He already missed Arcadia Bay. In the few hours they were in the car, he’d managed to  _ already _ miss his home. What in hell’s name made him choose to come with Nathan, his very own frenemy? Could the other even be considered the “friend” part? Even if he’d tried to make it right between them both, it seemed Nathan still hated his guts. He could tell just by the silence he was receiving from him.

Unless Nathan was just like this normally. Shit, he wouldn’t know. Because he didn’t know Nathan Prescott.

Since they’d stopped at a bank on the outskirts of Arcadia Bay and withdrew money from the Prescotts’ bank account, no words had been exchanged between them. Nathan didn’t even turn the radio on. And even when the older male  _ had _ spoken to him, his words were pointy sharp, like he was angry. Other than that, nothing was said. Warren absolutely  _ hated _ it. It wasn’t a pleasant silence whatsoever.

That, and it was getting really late. They didn’t need to give a shit about waking up the next morning because they (obviously) weren’t going to school later that morning. Yet, even so, it was 3 AM and he was tired. Surely, Nathan was too.

_ Maybe,  _ Warren thought,  _ I should ask about stopping. _ It wasn’t safe to drive while tired, and it wasn’t like he could completely trust Nathan, either. There were points on this drive in which he wouldn’t have been surprised if they crashed either into another car or into a tree. He didn’t really want to do either.

It took a lot of courage and gut to actually start speaking. Sure, maybe the two had some sort of truce between them, but even so, he was still terrified of Nathan. The shit he was capable of… it wasn’t pretty. Warren had experienced it first hand. Not as bad as some of his other victims, though. Lucky for him.

“So…” He’d began, swallowing before he went through with his request, “Don’t you think we should stop at, like, a motel or something? I mean, it’s 3 in the morning. Shouldn’t we sleep and then keep going--”

“Are you a fucking idiot?” Nathan retaliated, eyes leaving the road briefly to glare at Warren. The younger boy was immediately taken back. He was afraid of the other would snap or something, sure, but he didn’t think it would actually happen just because he asked about stopping.

“I--what?” The younger one asked, surprised to say the least. Did he not let up even at these hours of the night?

“God, you are. If we ‘stop at a motel or something,’ they’re gonna find me, dumbass. The motel owners or something. They’ll see me and then when the fucking police are put on my case, they’ll speak out about me. The point of this shit is to  _ not _ get caught, if you weren’t informed. Have you even considered the fact that in a few days, they’re gonna put missing posters with  _ our _ names on them all over the place?”

Shit. Warren actually hadn’t. He’d seen a countless amount of movies where shit like this happened, and somehow, he hadn’t thought of the simplest fact about this entire thing. Nathan was right--they were going to be plastered everywhere, probably put on the news. Even so, he didn’t want to be driven by someone who was sleep-deprived.

“Okay, then. We don’t have to stay somewhere public. We’re in the middle of nowhere anyway. We can just drive into the woods a little, turn off the lights, and get rest that way. It’s just--it’s late, for Christ’s sake. You’re going to crash us into a ditch and then we’ll be  _ dead _ .”

“Jesus fucking Christ. What’s your deal with trying to tell  _ me _ what to do? Last time I checked,  _ I’m  _ the one who let  _ you _ come along. This is  _ my _ car. If you want to sleep, do it yourself. I’m going to keep driving,” Nathan snapped once more. His eyes stayed focused on the dark road ahead of them this time.

“I’m not going to crash us into a ditch. Just calm your goddamn tits.”

Warren couldn’t object to that unless he was on a suicide mission. It was apparently final that they’d continue to drive, no matter how uneasy it felt that Nathan was driving after nearly 24 hours of no sleep (probably) and that he wasn’t even wearing his seatbelt.

In addition to the tension between them, quiet soon enveloped again. He tried everything in his power to not allow himself to doze off, just in case he saw Nathan drifting off or something, but, after only fifteen minutes or so, he was sound asleep.

Nathan kept driving. It was 5 AM when, after serious, yet silent consideration, he did just as Warren had advised hours before. It felt like shit that his advice was actually  _ good  _ advice. Even if it was going to suck ass to sleep in a car for whatever amount of time he could actually get sleep in, he had begun to feel drowsy and, honestly, he didn’t want to crash into a ditch like the male next to him warned. The fact that he was wrong was not something that necessarily helped whatever ego he had.

Warren was the first to wake, and holy shit, did everything ache. Sleeping in the car brought him nothing but fatigue. His back hurt from being upright while falling asleep, and his neck did as well because of the awkward position he was in.

After he registered their surroundings, his eyes flicked to see Nathan sleeping. He had blankets bunched around him, and also had the seat reclined as far as it could go. It seemed the boy had actually taken his advice at some time. Somehow, that proved that he wasn’t totally stubborn. He probably wasn’t happy about it, though.

Secondly, the fact that Nathan hadn’t considered sharing the blankets he’d apparently packed made Warren feel sour.  _ Wow, Nathan! How kind of you to put a blanket on the sleeping person before you took the rest of them for yourself! _

Other than the fact that kindness had failed to register in the other male, he came to realize it was now light out. The sun was completely up, which made him wonder what time it was. The car was off, so he couldn’t tell the time that way, and the two had left their phones in the Blackwell parking lot before they’d sped off. His eyes landed over on Nathan to see if he had anything to be able to possibly tell the time, but, unlike usual, his wrist was bare. It seemed that he’d failed to wear the thousand-dollar watch he normally did at school.

He could only guess. Soon, it wasn’t the time that was the problem, though. His stomach made a loud grumbling noise, which pierced the silence. It would have been a tad embarrassing had Nathan been awake to hear it. The only thing that sucked was the lack of food they had in the car.

Of course, when Nathan was asleep was when he was hungry as hell and couldn’t do anything about it. He’d really have to wait until the boy woke. Waking him up was an  _ option.  _ God be damned if he was going to try it. He’d just woken up himself--the last thing he wanted was his morning being ruined by Nathan’s anger issues. Or, whatever issues he had.

Nathan didn’t wake for at least another hour and a half. Warren had left the car to have  _ something  _ to do, and he was still starving. Quickly after he’d noticed the other’s consciousness, he was back in the car.

“Uh, morning,” He tried to strike some sort of conversation. Knowing them both, though, their lack of knowledge about each other, and lack of good social skills, the conversation wouldn’t go far.

“No one noticed you just frolicking outside, did they? Cause if they did, we’re fucking screwed. And it’s your fault,” Nathan replied. No “morning” back or anything. At least Warren came to the conclusion that he never actually let up when it came to snarky, rude replies. Good to know, he supposed.

“No, Nathan. I doubt anyone can even see your car from the road anyway. Chill out, dude,” He said in return, getting a bit defensive after such a rude reply from the other.

“You,” Began the elder male, anger already pumping through his veins out of habit, “You don’t get to fucking tell me to ‘chill out,’ okay? I can just leave you on the side of the road or some shit. You better shut the fuck up. Just because it’s only us two in this car doesn’t mean you can control me,” He spat, leaning over the center console into Warren’s personal space.

_ Shit. Bad, bad idea, _ he thought. He was so screwed, wasn’t he? All he could muster was a small, “Okay,” in return. It was becoming clear quite quickly that this trip they were on wasn’t going to be extraordinarily fun. It was probably going to be the opposite. His whole plan to not allow Nathan to be alone was a completely idiotic one, he’d come to realize in a matter of 10 hours stuck in a car with the fearsome male. He never liked to think bad things about people--even Nathan Prescott--but seriously, he was starting to hate his time with the male. “Quality time” with the boy consisted of being constantly afraid that what you said was going to piss him off and then pissing him off. It was about the least comforting thing he could think of. In fact, not only did he regret coming along because it was an impulsive, dumb decision, but also because of Nathan himself. The very person he did this for.

Not that Nathan knew he was lying about wanting to leave in the first place. Still, though, would it have killed to just be  _ nicer _ ?

“We’re going back on the road. We can stop to get some food and shit when we actually come across something. So just hold your complaints.” Nathan spoke after a little while of silence. The car was started, and finally, Warren had his solution to the previous problem. The time flashed on the screen in the middle, and it read 9:54 AM. So they’d slept in, somewhat. He didn’t really know when his miserable counterpart decided to sleep, but he could only guess it wasn’t too long after he’d apparently fallen asleep himself.

He didn’t dare speak about his hunger. He doubted he needed to, considering that now the thought was back on his mind and it was all he could think about. He had nothing else  _ to _ think about. And now, his stomach was rumbling as if it were an earthquake. He wouldn’t be surprised if Nathan screamed at him for such a miniscule thing as that.

However, Nathan said nothing to him, just like last night. It was annoying how quiet the other was being. Warren did  _ nothing _ but talk half the time he was around people. Silence--even if it weren’t awkward silence--made him feel all weird.

Still, they would drive in silence until they’d reach an incredibly small town practically in the middle of the woods. There was where Nathan pulled into some diner for breakfast. Even if it didn’t look as nearly as cool as the Two Whales, it still reminded Warren of it. He felt a pang in his chest and tried to suppress the feeling of sadness.

“Come on, Gayram. Get out of the fucking car,” Spoke Nathan, venom in his voice. The younger boy snapped out of a trance he didn’t realize he was in, seeing the other standing on the sidewalk in front of the diner. He looked like a mix of annoyed and angry, so Warren got out of the car in no time.

“Shit, sorry. Spaced out,” He tried to apologize, his gaze not meeting Nathan’s.

“Yeah, whatever.” Somehow, that was the nicest thing the rich boy had said to him all day. Even still, it was a rude thing to say.

Quietness, again, as they walked into the diner and took a seat. The place was somehow nearly packed despite this town being so small. However, Warren allowed a smile to appear on his face as he looked around at everything.

This felt like home, even if they were far from it.

“ _ Keep your head down, idiot _ ,” A familiar voice said, causing him to quickly bring his head down slightly. Nathan was right, there were a lot of people and any one of them could see them and later report that they’d seen them to the police. Looking slightly at a small TV mounted on the wall, it didn’t appear they’d have that issue yet, but caution was never a bad idea.

A waitress was quick to come over and take their orders. 

“What would you two like this lovely morning?” She asked, looking between the two of them with a gracious smile on her face. The kind of smile that made you smile. Warren was a victim to that; a small grin cascaded across his face before he looked back down at his menu.

He secretly hoped that Nathan would order first since he himself didn’t like to order first. He didn’t like to order  _ at all _ , but then he wouldn’t be going to restaurants ever. Luckily for him, after an awkward silence, the other sighed and then spoke up.

“Belgian waffles. No whipped cream, but I do want strawberries with that. And a coffee.” Nathan ordered, offering no eye contact to the woman taking their order. There wasn’t even a please within the few sentences the male spoke. So, Nathan Prescott really was just an asshole. That was his only personality, it seemed, and Warren was stuck with it.

“And for you, sir?” The waitress spoke up, to which he was very ready to give his order.

“Chocolate chip pancakes, please. I’ll also take coffee,” He said confidently, earning a sigh of annoyance from Nathan.

“Sure thing, you two. I’ll be right back with your coffees.” And with that, the waitress left them to their own devices.

“Pancakes, really?” Nathan said, scoffing. His eyes were averted from him, but it was obvious he was talking about his order.

“What do you mean, ‘really’? Pancakes are frickin’ awesome,” Warren responded, quirking an eyebrow upward.

“They’re just fuckin’, like, disks of dough that flop around. They’re only good if you have a shit ton of syrup on them,” His counterpart argued, eyebrows furrowed.

“Waffles are disks of dough too,” He pointed out.

“At least they’re crunchy if you make them right. And you can eat them without a shit ton of syrup and they’re still good. So fuck off. Waffles are way better.”

It seemed Warren wasn’t going to win this fight, whatever it was. Still, it felt like the first normal and actual conversation they’d had. Even if Nathan’s tone was defensive and he was still being an asshole and cursing up a storm, somehow it didn’t seem all that… bad.

The waitress was back in just a few minutes to hand them their coffee. On their table was a small container with half and half and another with sugar, and the two of them were at it making their coffee the way they liked them in no time.

Nathan absolutely hated coffee. It was disgusting. But, he was tired and he didn’t want the prick across from him to drive his highly expensive SUV. The nerd would probably fuckin’ crash it.

So, he’d put about 5 or 6 sugars in his mug, along with a half and half or two, and stirred the hell out of it. If it was sweet enough, it wouldn’t taste like the bitter drink it was.

Warren made his similarly, but for a different reason. He honestly just liked sweet things, and so his consisted of a large amount of sugar, too.

The two sipped without speaking to one another again. The shaggy-haired male couldn’t help but look around at those who surrounded them.

The sound of silverware against plates echoed throughout the diner as many people ate. In addition, the constant sound of talking from all directions made the diner a bit of a loud place, yet he didn’t mind at all. It compensated for the quietness between him and Nathan.

His eyes landed on a certain old lady and what looked like her husband. They were in a booth, just like he and Nathan were, and they were talking amongst themselves, smiling and laughing away. He’d wondered how long they’d been married, if they even were. He wanted to imagine that they were in love, just like his own parents were. To be honest, he was a bit of a romantic, so seeing happy couples like that made him feel warm inside. He also felt hopeful for his own romantic future, even if he’d never so much as had a girlfriend before.

“Stop staring at random people. It’s fuckin’ creepy.” Nathan, of course.

“What else am I supposed to do when you won’t even talk to me?” Snapped Warren. He didn’t understand why the other had the need to tell him everything he was doing “wrong.”

“Why do you even  _ want _ to talk? This isn’t a leisurely camping trip in the woods. We’re running away, getting you to where you want to go, getting me where I want to go, and then we don’t have to see each other again. There doesn’t need to be friendly bonding or whatthefuckever because I  _ don’t care _ .”

_ We don’t have to see each other again. _

Of course. Why did Warren think that, wherever Nathan planned on going, he would go too? The other probably thought that if he’d wanted to run away, he had a place to run away  _ to _ . Yet he himself thought he’d just go wherever Nathan went. According to him, though, that wasn’t going to happen.

“Well maybe, it’s because you’re literally the only person who I  _ can _ talk to. It’s not like I had a lot of friends in the first place at Blackwell, but now they’re hundreds of miles away. I have literally  _ no one else  _ to talk to.” He retaliated.

Nathan couldn’t argue. Warren was sadly right once again. On the road, it was just him and the stupid nerd. It wasn’t like Victoria was chilling in the back seat. Even if he really fucking wished she was.

He wouldn’t show that he agreed, though.

“Cool, I don’t care. You can figure out something. Just stop trying to be buddy-buddy with me,” He grumbled. Warren didn’t respond and didn’t have to. Their food was there only a few moments later.

They ate their entire meal in quietude.

Nathan paid for the bill with a simple twenty dollar bill, since that covered the meal well, and allowed the rest of the change there to be the waitress’s tip. He then stood, eyebrows still furrowed as he did so. Warren was quick to follow, and they were out of the diner quickly. With food in their stomach and energy restored, they got into Nathan’s SUV and drove away.

Nathan’s words still plagued his mind. If he were to admit he didn’t know where he’d want to go, would the male realize he didn’t actually have any plan to leave in the first place? And if he did, would it come to be a big deal that he lied or would he not care? He had no clue. The quiet gave him a lot of time to think.

After a while, he just had to ask.

“Where do you wanna go, anyway?”

Nathan’s jaw clenched, but surprisingly, instead of lashing out, he took a deep breath in and begrudgingly answered Warren’s question.

“Somewhere far away from that shithole. But also somewhere where they wouldn’t expect me to go,” He replied. It was a vague answer, but an answer nonetheless.

“Wait--so you don’t know where you want to go?” Warren asked, turning his head to look at Nathan. Maybe him not knowing wouldn’t be a bad thing, if the other was in the same boat.

“No. I don’t. Alright? Get the answer you wanted?” Nathan responded, becoming defensive once more.

“I was just wondering. Cause… uh… I don’t know where I want to go either. So… we’re kind of in the same situation, then,” He said quietly, feeling as if Nathan were going to snap at that.

Radio silence from Nathan. Certainly better than being yelled at again.

Silence. A fate they were forevermore condemned to, it seemed. A fate Warren didn’t want.

He’d come on this trip for the sake of Nathan. To maybe see his real side. He guessed, though, that him being an ass to everyone was his real side.

He was stuck with the world’s biggest asshole on a trip to nowhere in particular for who knows how long.

_ How fun this would be. _


	3. Mellowing Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two find some sort of peace after their sober states are altered. For once, they aren't fighting. It feels nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u like this chapter—they're finally getting somewhat along ;0  
> thanks to my friend hannah for pushing me to update. wrote most of this at home when i should have been sleeping and the rest on a plane, sooo yeah lol  
> luv u hannah 🤲🥺  
> also, posting this on my phone in the car, so formatting may be wack—im sorry if that's the case!

Time in a car moved painfully slow. Warren would know; after several more hours in a car with Nathan Prescott and nothing to do, he would rather be watching paint dry back at home.

  
There it was. The thought of home again plagued his mind. It practically had all day. He wondered what his parents were doing back home. Had anyone even noticed his absence yet? Had they noticed Nathan’s? Or, were their disappearances simply not even glanced over? Even if their main goal was not getting caught, it would still feel bad if no one noticed him for days after he’d not shown up anywhere.

It was their first official night on the road, and so far, they’d made alright progress. According to several signs on the way, they’d made it into Idaho, and perhaps further. Warren had fallen asleep multiple times, so they could easily be further than he thought. He didn’t feel like asking Nathan. 

  
Stars glistened above them. There were millions, it looked like. They’d stopped for the night after going to a convenience store for food and drinks, and they now resided in an empty lot, where a thrift store appeared to have gone out of business ages ago. Reluctantly, Warren sat beside Nathan on the hood of the car as he munched on a granola bar.

  
Beside him, the other boy sported a beer can in one hand (he still had his fake ID with him), using his other hand to occasionally stuff a handful of chips into his mouth. Evidently, he didn’t even like the taste of the drink, which confused the shaggy-haired boy but not enough to question it. For the first time since the start of the trip, the radio played in the car, at a loud enough volume for them to hear it through open doors. Warren didn’t know what he thought Nathan’s music taste would be, but he never really guessed it to be similar to his own. It reminded him a little of the fact that, though he was rich and an asshole, he still had some amount of normalcy. It seemed that way, anyhow.

  
Apart from the music, however, and the sound of crickets chirping and the engine of Nathan’s car running, there was no sound. Somehow, it was relaxing. Even though he’d loathed the sound of silence for hours before.

  
It was peaceful, for now. And peaceful was nice.

  
Warren didn’t have an answer to the question of why he’d moved his eyes from the stars to Nathan’s side profile. The boy made no sound, other than crunching on chips and gulping down sips of beer, so there really was no reason that he’d ever want to admit. All he knew was that he didn’t tear his eyes away right away.

  
Nathan’s skin was virtually perfect. Smooth, almost shining against the moonlight. His eyes showcased how calm he seemed. They were half-lidded, with drowsiness or a calm mind, and his face wasn’t contorted into an angry stare like Warren had grown accustomed to. It was abnormal to see a normally emotion-ridden boy to suddenly be devoid of any great amount of anger.   
It was nice, nonetheless.

  
The nerdy male was caught in his act of staring, though. The bout of calm between them both was broken in a split second.

  
“The hell were you looking at me for?” Asked Nathan, eyebrows furrowed. Great. Warren had successfully ruined the moment they both were having. Not that there was a moment between them. 

Shit, he had to think quick for an excuse.

“Uh—um… I…” He started, scanning his brain for a viable reason for his staring. Alas, there was none. He nearly sat defeated and subject to the scrutiny of the other boy, but his mouth blurted out a dumb reason before he could even think.

  
“I just wanted a beer. Uh… You bought a twelve-pack, right? Care to share?” He asked. God, what was with him and making impulse decisions?

  
“Hold the fucking phone. You’re telling me a loser like you drinks?” Nathan snickered; a brow raised high in question. He clearly thought of this situation as funny, which made Warren regret it more. Somehow, when it was just the two of them alone, he still was seen as a laughingstock for Nathan.

  
“Yeah, I do.” He proceeded to say, his expression dead serious. It was then that his counterpart realized that he wasn’t joking around. And now, he wasn’t. He couldn’t be, or he’d be seen as more of a loser.

  
“Damn, then. Take one then. In the back seat,” The older boy spoke, his face still full of an entertained expression. It seemed that his dumb decision to lie about his reasons wasn’t all as bad as he thought it’d be. 

Nathan hadn’t gotten angry and defensive, and now, all he had to do was drink a beer.  
He shouldn’t have been anxious to do it. They were far from home, far from his parent’s rules and from their punishments if he were to be caught drinking. He was free from any punishment, and he was with one of the biggest rulebreakers and troublemakers he knew. Aside from Chloe, anyway. Or maybe they were about the same.

  
Yet, he found himself nervous. Receding back to old habits of being boring and quiet and invisible and a nerd.

  
As he grabbed a can from the mostly full box, he grew determined. He would do fine. It didn’t matter now if he drank a beer or two. It didn’t matter if he drank a shit ton. It was him and Nathan. Just him and Nathan. No Brooke, or Stella, or Max to dissuade him from this.

  
He returned to the hood of the car in a short time, beer in hand. The sound of the can opening satisfied him greatly, and a moment later, he took a sip of it.

  
It was disgusting. Suddenly, he understood why Nathan’s face contorted a tad upon sipping it. How did people even drink this without gagging? Warren himself almost did. Somehow, he kept it together. He forced himself to take another sip.

  
“Damn, Gayram. Didn’t take you for the type.” Said Nathan, quirking an eyebrow toward the younger male beside him. He seemed more entertained than impressed, but it was better than him fearing his throat would be ripped out.

  
“Well, I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover, then. I’m cooler than you think, Nathan,” Warren responded. Maybe it was a bit much to assume he was cool at all, but he could at least try.

  
“No. You’re still a huge fucking nerd,” The other shook his head. He even laughed a little, but it wasn’t hearty or light. More like a cackle, as if he was still making fun of his younger counterpart.

  
Warren tried. He really did.

  
“Well, whatever. I’m cool with my friends. The coolest.” He tried to defend, taking another sip of the bubbly, alcoholic drink in his hand. It was surprisingly involuntary to do so, like, even though he didn’t like the taste of it, his body still wanted to have something to drink.

  
“Do your other nerd friends all drink too, or is it just you?” Joked Nathan. He didn’t exactly expect an answer, but one was delivered anyhow.

  


  
“Nope,” Warren said quickly, “That’s why I’m so cool. The girls are just too chicken to try.”

  
It was obvious to himself that, at this moment, for reasons unknown, he was trying to impress Nathan. He wasn’t sure why it was his goal all of a sudden, especially because he was lying through his teeth, but he wasn’t going to stop now. It felt nice to be on what seemed like Nathan’s good side. Even if they were drinking together, and Nathan had already had a few drinks.

  
For the next half an hour, at least, they were actually talking. They weren’t fighting, or yelling at each other, or spending eternities in silence. Warren knew the temporary aspect of such an interaction, but he didn’t mind. He’d finished a beer already, and for the sake of being “cool,” or whatever, he had taken another one.

  
It wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it’d be. Every brain cell he had was warning him against underage drinking beforehand. Every statistic he’d ever read had screamed itself at him, but in the end, he didn’t care. He was far from caring now. It felt strangely good being half intoxicated, and with Nathan, it was just the same.

  
Who knew he could have a fun time with Nathan Prescott, even if they were under the influence?

  
After a while of drinking, however, with Warren finishing off his 3rd can and Nathan on his 5th, conversation and laughter had grown idle. They’d grown silent again, like the whole day, but this time, it wasn’t tense. It was invigorating, almost. Hearing some song by The Neighbourhood blasting in the car and looking up toward the only thing worth looking at in the beat town they were in, Warren was relaxed for the first time since they’d left Arcadia Bay. And when his eyes flicked over to glance at Nathan, he could tell the boy felt the same.

  
A perplexed expression soon came across his face, however. Nathan was perfect, to put it frankly. He was achingly perfect in every way on the outside. Raised cheekbones that made his face appear slender, and beautiful blue eyes. His hair looked as if it were incredibly soft to the touch, and all of a sudden, Warren had the urge to reach out and take locks of his hair in between his fingers. He also had quite chapped lips, which appeared rough but still fit the boy so well, and every feature he had fit him well, and—

  
Why was he staring again?

  
His eyes were quick to avert from the boy beside him. Luckily, Nathan was just as captivated by the stars in his drunken state as he himself was when sober. He didn’t catch him a second time ogling over his strikingly handsome—he wouldn’t let himself finish the sentence, even if it was in his mind. It was the alcohol talking, obviously, so there was no need to even finish it because although maybe it was true that the other was quite attractive, he wouldn’t go out of his way to say so. Even in his thoughts.

Thoughts didn’t matter anyway. Nope, they didn’t.  


The night didn’t carry on for much longer. Despite being drunk, and being giggly toward Nathan’s charismatic jokes and words, Warren still had a shred of common sense. Knowing he was a lightweight, he stopped himself at 3 drinks. It was certainly enough. He was the first to retire to bed, the older male allowing him to take a blanket this time. Nathan was much nicer in his intoxicated state, Warren thought.

  
He’d fallen asleep easily, with the touch of alcohol making it much easier to settle down and fall asleep. This left Nathan alone and outside. It was true—he really was captivated by what was above. Plus, though he knew drinking alone was lame, he needed some time to think. This whole trip was supposed to be about that—thinking. Taking time to understand why he was running and why he was the way he was. It was cliché to think of it in such a way, but it was some way to think about himself, about who he was and what he wanted to be. Of course, with Warren around, it was impossible to do such a thing. The boy constantly interrupted his train of thought, leaving him with no time to really do what he’d come on the trip for.

  
Still, it was obvious—what and who he was. He was Nathan Prescott, a very possibly psychotic teen who came from a rich family. Said family gave no shits about his issues, just paying psychiatrists to give him enough drugs to become nothing but a hollow vessel inside. He was a drug-using teenager with a dangerous temper who scared every new person he met away except for Victoria. He was selfish for leaving everything behind, for leaving everything he cared about behind, and he didn’t care. He had issues, and no one wanted to fix them. He had no true friends that didn’t include Vic, and no one in his family gave a shit about him except for his sister.

  
He was Nathan Prescott, and he was alone. Done with being alone. Done with the stupid fucking town that he’d been forced to live in after moving away from Florida and done with every being in it.

  
That, he figured, was why he did what he did. He packed up his shit and went because he was done with everything.

  
He didn’t want to think anymore.

  
The next morning, Nathan woke first. A headache hurting just enough to be annoying buzzed in his head as he sat up in the car seat, blankets he had used falling down to rest in his lap. Yawning, he stretched as much as he could in the compact space before settling his eyes on Warren, who was still sleeping. Recollections of the night before started to hit him, and a light chuckle was evoked when he remembered the other drank with him last night. He’d claimed he had had alcohol before, but it was so obvious that it was his first time that Nathan had to laugh. If he remembered correctly, as well, the boy beside him had quite a few drinks.

  
He was going to wake up to hell.

  
Somewhere in his constant “don’t give any fucks about anyone but yourself” attitude, he’d found a feeling of pity for Warren. Poor guy, after putting up such a fight about it not being his first time drinking any amount of alcohol, was going to wake up devastated. He remembered when it first happened to himself, in sophomore year. It was utter hell.  
His feeling of pity was enough to stop at another convenience store, this time for pain killers. Even when he came back from the inside, Warren was still fast asleep.

  
It really was laughable. The geek was fast asleep now, sure, but the feeling he’d wake up to after having “so much” to drink on his first time was going to be priceless. And Nathan got to witness it.

  
And he would. After only an hour of driving in complete silence, the groans of a certain 16-year-old nerd caught his attention. Warren was waking up, and he was so, so ready to see how a hangover treated him.

  
“Shit,” Murmured the male beside him, after sitting up and lazily moving his chair into an upright position. His hands next went to his eyes, and another groan left his mouth as he processed where they were and why his head hurt and why he was kind of nauseous—

  
Wait. Last night actually happened, didn’t it? It wasn’t just some weird, kind of gay dream he had where he and Nathan got along and even acted like friends. It was real life, and he really got drunk with someone who was declared his enemy not a week ago. And now, he was suffering the consequences.  
He quickly reminded himself never to get drunk again, as everyone does after their first time getting basically shitfaced.

  
“Morning, nerd. How’s your head treating you?” Nathan snickered, his laugh seeming evil to the other. Nathan was really taunting him when he had a hangover?

  
“Fuck you,” Warren muttered back in annoyance, eyebrows furrowed. Now he was being the asshole, but he didn’t even care. He felt like utter shit right now and he didn’t want to deal with whatever the hell his frenemy had in store for him.

  
“No need to be so rude. I got you some meds, so you should be thanking me. In the console, just look in the cupholders,” The older boy informed, glancing briefly at him before paying attention to the road once more.

  
“Wait… really? You’re not joking, right?” He asked, surprised as all hell. Since when did Nathan have decency?

  
“Just check. I’m not messing with you anymore,” was the reply given to him, and his eyes quickly settled upon the most angelic bottle of ibuprofen he’d ever seen. Never did he think he’d need pills so bad to feel better, but here he was. Quickly downing two with a bottle of water that Nathan had been so generous to get as well, he wished the effects would kick in quicker.

  
“How’s your first hangover?” The other asked. Somehow, he knew the lies Warren had told, which spooked him a little. Or… maybe it was just that obvious. He’d had, what, 3 drinks, and he felt like this? Okay, so… It was just really obvious.

  
Dammit.

  
It didn’t seem though, like Nathan gave two shits about his fib. Thank every god that existed, if they existed.

  
“This fucking sucks,” Warren whined, his knees being brought up to his chest as a way to try and comfort himself somehow. He’d be damned if it actually worked. Of course, though, it did little to nothing in terms of comforting. He was still miserable and aching and still a tad nauseous.

  
“Yeah. That’s how I felt too. Bet you’re having the time of your life right about now, huh? Is it all you dreamed of?” Said Nathan sarcastically, steadily driving. It made him wonder how the hell he wasn’t completely feeling gross and terrible. Right now, he envied the other.

  
“Shut up,” was all he said in return, however. He was a grump because he felt awful, and he was just being taunted by someone who did way more drugs and alcohol than he did, presumably. The fact that Nathan had felt like this too at one point did not do anything for his feelings.

  
“Alright, alright. I’ll ‘shut up’. Now you know how I felt yesterday when you wouldn’t shut your damn mouth,” The elder complied.  
Not a word more came from him, at least for now.

  
It didn’t take but half an hour for the pain medication to kick in, and to say Warren was glad about this was an understatement. He still felt off, but at least he could deal with it now. He leaned over to turn the radio on, and surprisingly found that Nathan didn’t give any trouble about it.

  
“Oh. You hungry? I stopped earlier but you were asleep, so… didn’t know what to get you. We can stop at a fast food place or something.” Since when was the other so… accommodating? It was definitely just yesterday that he was being treated like crap. What changed? Was this just because he was hungover and grumpy? Was it going to be a one-time thing, just because Nathan was feeling decent or something?  
He hoped not. 

  
“Uh, yeah, I kind of am. Can we stop at a McDonald’s or something please?” Asked Warren, a smile on his face at the prospect of some greasy breakfast food. It reminded him of something normal, something that didn’t involve running from home or the fact he got drunk the previous night or any of that.  
He laughed to himself. Since when was getting fast food the most normal part of his life?

  
“Yup. Sounds good to me,” Nathan replied, nodding a little.

  
In a short time, Warren had acquired a blissfully good bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and the childish choice of chocolate milk, and Nathan now had a (second) coffee. The younger boy had quickly devoured the entire thing in perhaps five or ten minutes and drank a large sum of his chocolate milk in that time, as well. He ate as if he hadn’t in weeks. Nathan didn’t judge, but jeez, the boy seemed hungry.

  
“Thanks, Nate,” Warren said, smiling a little.

  
Nate.

  
Victoria called him Nate. But Warren? He didn’t get to have that privilege. No way. Leaving Vic behind was still an open wound and he and the other male weren’t anything close to friends, let alone as close as he and Vic.

  
So, he spoke.

  
“Don’t call me that,” were the words that came from his mouth, sternly at that matter. This evoked a surprised response from Warren, who wasn’t foolish enough to provoke a reason out of him.

  
“Okay,” said the boy, “I’m sorry.”  
Still, he wondered what that was all about. All he’d done was give Nathan a playful nickname of sorts. He hadn’t expected the male to react the way he did. Maybe it was a bad memory, or maybe he hated nicknames. He was too scared to ask.

  
It didn’t matter soon enough, however. Warren didn’t want an altercation and Nathan didn’t want to explain, so they left it at that.  
It was boring in the car—Warren was sure that they could both agree on that. The good thing about staring outside through the window, however, was that you could see every road sign that ever existed.

  
This one in particular read “State Park – 3 miles away.” He couldn’t resist asking about possibly stopping there.

  
“Look. There’s a park not too far away. We could stop. I mean… who goes to these places anyway? There probably won’t be anyone there. We don’t have to worry about being seen.” He explained, looking for any sign of an answer from the other. He hoped greatly that they could stop somewhere. He could stretch his legs, and maybe they cold go on a hike or something. It would be fun.  
“Fine,” was the only word from Nathan, and of course he took it as a yes. He was beaming, practically. Normally, he might not have gotten so excited, but this situation was far from normal anyway.

  
In a matter of minutes, they had arrived in the small parking lot of the park. Trees surrounded them in every direction, just like on the highway, but somehow, this was better. He and Nathan both stepped out of the car after they’d parked, and he just took a moment to take in the fresh air. This was invigorating, somehow.

  
“So, what exactly was your plan once we got here?” Asked Nathan, who looked at him weirdly. 

  
“What if we went down a trail a little? We could get a little exercise and see nature and stuff. It can be fun if you make it fun.” Warren smiled. The older male didn’t understand how he was so energetic and happy when he was hungover, and boy, did he wish he could have that ability when he ended up like that. Still, for unknown reasons, the sudden burst of energy from Warren convinced him they could spend a little time here. As they’d discovered yesterday, they didn’t particularly have a destination, anyway.

  
“Okay, whatever. You’re leading the way, though.” He complied; hands stuffed in his pockets as he stood hunched a little. The boy really had bad posture, but it didn’t seem to bother him.

  
Warren was glad to lead them down a hiking trail and did so willingly. A small smile remained on his face as they began to walk. Nathan seemed much less enthused than he was about the whole thing, for sure. Maybe, though, he’d cheer up.

  
To his disappointment, however, there were no animals but the occasional lizard or squirrel, both of which he’d seen countless times in Arcadia Bay. It looked as if Idaho didn’t have much difference from Oregon.   
He would have guessed that they’d walked for about half an hour before they headed back the way they came. Few words were exchanged, but it was peaceful now that they were in a serene, woody area. No words were required as of now.

  
Sooner than Warren wanted, they were back to the car, meaning they had to keep driving. He understood the fact that the whole point of this trip was to drive, but God, was it boring.

  
“Hey, what if I drove?” The boy asked Nathan after his bit of internal complaining. It certainly would give him something to do, which was what he desperately needed as of now. Plus, it would be cool to drive such an expensive car.

  
He was shut down, though, with a stern, “No,” from Nathan. Welp. He tried, at least.  
To the car, they returned soon after. It was then that he realized that today really wasn’t too bad.

  
Things were getting better, at least. And for that, Warren was glad.


End file.
